Spin Me Around
by Patsee
Summary: Katara and Zuko are meeting each other. Secretly, obviously. Then Sokka, of all people, finds out.
1. My Reflection

_Spin Me Around_

_Chapter One, My Reflection_

_Takes Place-After "Bitter Work," before the 2-part movie. _

_A/N- Yeah. I have no clue as to how Zuko got to where Katara is, why she's putting up with him, why she accepts this so quickly, and all that sort of stuff... But, hey, I'm an author and a fangirl. I can take and twist things. The first chapter is really short, but the chappies should get longer, after a while._

---

"Katara," Zuko murmured. He clasped her hands in his and pulled her close to him.

"Let me go," she said, trying to pull her hands away.

"Listen to me," he tightened his grip.

Katara responded by kicking the prince in the shins. It didn't faze him at all; if anything he held tighter still. But it made her feel better, so she didn't really care.

"Let me go!" she repeated, louder this time.

"I have to talk to you," he said. "Don't think I don't plan on letting you go. "

"Then talk."

"Katara…"

"What?" she demanded.

"Promise you won't run," he said quietly.

"That's what you wanted to tell me?"

He dropped her hands. "Sit down." He motioned to the pond by which they stood. Katara took a step away from him and did as she was asked. She crossed her arms across her chest and set a look of annoyance on her face. Zuko couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked, surrounded by the tall grass around the water. He sat down next to her, closer than Sokka would have liked had he been watching.

"Look… I don't know what to say. I just needed to talk to you."

Katara raised her eyebrows, an unreadable look crossing her features.

"Then I'll ask you a question; Why are you chasing us?"

Zuko sighed. "Long story short, I spoke out against my father around three years ago, lost my rightful place in our family, dueled my father to regain it, and lost. I got this scar," he lightly touched his face, "and now I have to capture the Avatar and turn him in to my father to be allowed to return home. "

"So you're banished?" Katara asked, scooting backwards a foot or two.

"To put it simply."

They were silent for a while.

"Why are you traveling with the Avatar?" Zuko asked suddenly.

"Aang," Katara corrected.

"What?"

"His name is Aang."

"Okay. Why are you traveling with Aang?"

"My story's long, too, but I can shorten it. I wanted him to take me to the North Pole, so we could both learn water bending. And then we _had_ to go, but the reasons aren't important."

"Why are you still with him, then?"

"He's my friend. What choice do I have?"

For a moment Zuko did not speak. Then he said in hushed tones; "But he's _only _your friend, and nothing more?"

"Why do you ask?" Katara said suspiciously, and she slid further away from Zuko.

"I have reasons."

Another period of quietness elapsed.

"Look in the water," Zuko broke the stillness.

"Yeah…" Katara was skeptic but obeyed.

"What do you see?"

"My reflection. But how is this relevant?"

Zuko leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Now what do you see?" he whispered in her ear.

Katara smiled. "Us. Our reflections."

"I'll be seeing you." Zuko stood up without another word and disappeared into the trees, his point made.

---

_A/N- It's short, and I said that already… I plan on elaborating this later. Please don't kill me with flaming reviews... Don't like the fic, don't act homicidal. Easy as that._


	2. A Favor

**_IMPORTANT! I didn't like the former chapter two (nor did lots of people), so here's a new one._**

_Spin Me Around_

_Chapter Two, A Favor_

_A/N-Pardon if the first part is confusing. Believe it or not, it makes perfect sense in my head. __Oh, yeah, and the Gaang is in a hotel in Misty Palms Oasis, or whatever it's called. Eh._

_Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar. Perhaps that's what I should ask for for my birthday…_

**---**

Meet me at sunrise by the iceberg.

This is what she had written him.

So what caused him to be unsure? Come to think of it, he'd never before seen her handwriting, so how was he to know if she'd written it?

And yet surely none knew of his meetings with her save Uncle. Surely. Unless…

How much _did _she trust her friend the Avatar? What would she tell him? The boy might trick him; surely she wasn't that foolish…

But what was he so worried about? What was the likelihood of someone else writing this note and sending it to him? This was madness. Of course she wanted to see him; He hadn't been able to speak to her in nearly two weeks.

So what do I do? Zuko silently asked himself. Tell Uncle I'll return shortly and meet Katara at daybreak. Simple as that.

--

Katara absently folded her blanket and placed it in her sack. She was worried about Sokka; he constantly seemed mildly put off by something, but for some odd reason she could not bring herself to talk to him about it, or even ask Aang for advice. Strange thing when you can't speak with your best friend about something so simple, especially when your friend's job is to help. Perhaps she subconsciously knew why Sokka was acting in a peculiar, believed it to be her fault and was thus feeling guilty… No. Absurd. Katara shook herself. Where did that come from? Absolutely absurd.

At that precise moment, Sokka strolled into the room. Somehow he seemed… oh, Katara didn't know, possibly like he'd achieved something marvelous.

"Hey, Katara!" he grinned at her. Katara smiled back uncertainly and resumed taking her things and putting them into her bag. Inwardly she sighed.

_I wish I could talk to Zuko._

Sokka sat down in a chair near Katara.

"We're leaving tomorrow, you said?" she asked, not looking up from her work.

"Bright and early," he said, unsheathing his boomerang and proceeding to sharpen it with a rock he produced from a pocket. The Gaang had been staying for a few days at the Green Cactus Inn in an oasis in the desert.

"I suppose it is dangerous to stay in one place for too long. Someone could find us." Katara inwardly sighed again. She'd hoped that if they remained in one location for a time, Lady Fate would bring Zuko her way. But alas, no one could control the future. _Read it, either, _she thought bitterly, recalling her encounter with Aunt Wu.

"Where's Toph?" Sokka asked, replacing his boomerang.

"Training Aang, I believe," Katara replied. "Just outside. You can hear the thuds."

"Thanks, sis." Sokka got up and left. Quickly he found Toph, who was helping Aang with a difficult move.

"Toph!" He called out as he neared them. "Can you do me a favor?"

Toph relaxed her stance. "Depends. What is it?"

Sokka walked closer. He explained, being careful not to let Aang hear, how he had seen Katara and Zuko flirting by a lake a week or two ago as he went to see why she was taking so long to get a bucket of water. He continued on, expounding a plot to capture the fire nation prince ("which should have been done a long time ago, and Katara deserves better anyway") involving digging a hole in the ground and tricking him to fall into it.

"It'd take me days to dig a hole deep enough," he concluded.

"My pleasure," Toph grinned wickedly. "Talk to you later. Aang has almost got this move."

--

Around an hour later, Toph and Sokka had left a note for Zuko requesting he be at the iceberg at dawn the next day and dug a sizable hole with and disguised it with a fragile crust of earth over the top. They knew for a fact that Zuko and Iroh were staying at the Inn, and that Katara remained unaware of this.

So Sokka woke early the next morning and watched the dwindling iceberg from his second-story window. Soon after the sun's first rays warmed the sand, a figure came out of a door below. It proceeded towards the iceberg. Five feet away, the figure promptly disappeared. Sokka smiled and disappeared from his window.

--

Zuko threw the desert rose he had plucked from the complimentary bouquet in his room for Katara to the ground. Crushing it with his heel, he cursed his ever-worsening luck. This hole in the ground was most likely a ploy of his ill-willed little brat of a sister or that of a bounty hunter desiring a handful of gold coins from the fire lord. Whichever it so happened to be, conditions were dim. His best bet would be to climb out and leave this wretched excuse for a town, but the earth was crumbly here and handholds disintegrated at the lightest touch.

Vexed, Zuko listened to someone approaching, as well as an odd sloshing noise. A face appeared over the edge of the pit; Katara's idiotic brother.

"Hello," the peasant had a triumphant grin spread upon his face. "Where you waiting for my sister?" Zuko remained silent, glaring.

"Hate to break it to you, but she won't be joining us," Sokka continued. "As a matter of fact, she's most likely sound asleep and not aware of your presence."

Zuko swore under his breath and released a blast of fire in Sokka's direction. Sokka responded by producing a large bucket of water from behind him and dumping it into the pit. Satisfied that Zuko was now to soaked to bend, he slung a long length of rope from his shoulder and tied it around a tree. Seizing the other end, he leapt into the pit. He dodged a kick and immobilized his enemy with a karate chop to the neck and a few knots.

"Am I expected to sit here all day long?" Zuko muttered as Sokka took a step back to admire his handiwork. Sokka kicked him and used the rope to pull himself out of the pit. He yanked on the rope, pulling Zuko out of the hole, with much audible grunting on the latter's half. Zuko was lugged up a flight of stairs into Sokka's quarters.

_That was unexpected._


	3. Out of Here

_Spin Me Around Chapter 3, Out of Here_

_A/N- If you know what sound a desert chicken llama makes, let me know. I'm not entirely sure._

_Spoilers in their minor form for episode 1:20, and maybe 1:19. Depends on your opinion of spoilers._

_Disclaimer- Why is this necessary? Isn't it sadly obvious that I don't own ATLA or any of the characters etc? (The Green Cactus Inn and the desert chicken llama are of my own invention, though.)_

_---_

EErryEEskIAAAh!

Katara woke that day to the rather loud squawk of the desert chicken-llamas that an anonymous merchant was selling. She yawned and stretched, washing her face and braiding her hair. Soon after she wrapped her ocean-blue dress around her body and securely knotted her snow-colored belt around her waist, she heard a knock at the door. As she cautiously opened it, Sokka came bursting through and hugged her.

"Excited, are we?" Katara asked, squirming her way out of his embrace.

"Guess what?" Sokka was nearly jumping with excitement.

"Oh, I don't know…" Katara began sarcastically. "Yue is back in the mortal world and…" she trailed off. Sokka looked slightly subdued, sadly remembering his lost princess at the North Pole.

"Really, what?" Katara placed her hands on her hips.

"Follow me," Sokka motioned out the door. Katara raised an eyebrow and followed his gesture. He went after his sister and swept her down the corridor to his and Aang's room in the Inn.

"You're not going to believe it!" Sokka exclaimed. "Admit it, you've been waiting for this forever, haven't you?"

"I'd agree, but I've no inkling of what you're talking--"

Sokka opened the door and presented his achievement to his sister.

_Oh spirits, _Katara put her hand to her forehead, as if she were feeling faint.

"Zuko…"

--

Zuko was still mulling over the fact that a moronic water tribe peasant had outwitted him like this. Sokka had used the prince's largest weak spot against him, other than his glaringly obvious inability to control anger. Zuko had even considered the possibility in his mind that the note "Katara" had written was a forgery. So had said his intuition, but his intuition had been smothered under a blanket of desire to see his sweetheart again.

_Gosh, I'm foolish._

On the more optimistic side, he did end up getting to see Katara. She was standing before him now, a look of pure shock and untainted disbelief spread over her beautiful features. And here he was, tied to a chair, bound by the same rope with which he had imprisoned Aang at the North Pole, what felt like eons ago.

He heard her whisper his name. Her hand moved from her forehead to the tip of her braid behind her back, nervously playing with it.

"Sokka," she began to her brother, then halted. "Sokka, are you certain this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked. "Of course it is." He turned and slapped Zuko across the face. Katara winced for him, lightly touching her cheek with her hand.

"I've always wanted to do that," Sokka giggled tirelessly. Zuko was unable to do anything more than glare daggers at him.

"So what, pray tell," Katara asked, "do you plan on doing with him?" Sokka faltered slightly, she continued, "We can't quite march up to Ozai and say 'Hey, we've got your outlaw son; can we have our reward money?'"

"Well, obviously…" Sokka looked slightly embarrassed. He clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. Zuko was mildly amused; these two were talking not five feet away from him like he wasn't even there.

"I'd prefer," he loudly cut into the argument, "if you would untie me now so I can be on my merry way, so to speak." Katara mouthed "quiet!" at him and Sokka ignored him entirely.

"Nor," she continued to Sokka, "could we keep him bound. I've been wondering myself," this was directed at Zuko, "why he hasn't _burned the ropes_ already and get away." Zuko nodded nearly imperceptibly.

"I was planning," Sokka countered, a grin creeping over his face, "on selling him to bounty hunters, who could then turn him in to the fire lord. No one would know a friend of the Avatar caught him."

Katara bit her lip. Zuko could tell she was doing her best to get him out of this, but things were not working out as well as she'd hoped. He could read it in her expression.

"I suppose," she slowly started, "we will have to find some bounty hunters, in that case. We should still leave now, though, as planned, and get to the next town, at least. Perhaps we can find that woman with the Shir-shu who was chasing us that one time." An idea was forming in her head. It was written across her features, if you were looking for it.

"Sounds good," Sokka smiled, relieved he wouldn't have to do any more persuading.

"I'll go get my things to load onto Appa, then?" Katara inquired.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Sokka said, "and could you find Aang and Toph? Aang is most likely talking to an animal breeder in the market and Toph'll probably be having another one of those mango juices."

"Sure."

"Thanks, Katara, that'd be great."

Katara skittered of to go find her friends. Toph was indeed sitting in the lobby of the Inn, dirty feet up on a table, sipping her iced mango juice. Aang was actually talking to a Professor Zei, "head of anthropology at Ba-Sing-Se University," about the history of the Southern Air Temple. She informed Toph and Aang that they needed to leave the Si-Wong Desert soon. They followed her back to the Green Cactus Inn, proceeding to stow away their belongings in their traveling bags. Within ten minutes, everyone met up at the yard where Appa was patiently waiting to take off. They loaded up their things into the saddle, and Katara helped Zuko up, as his hands were still bound behind his back and it was difficult for him to move. One time they caught each other's gaze and held it, until Katara became aware of Toph quietly sniggering behind her hand. Katara glowered at her, and Toph stuck out her tongue in return.

By the time everything along with everyone was safely in place in the saddle and Appa had taken off and was airborne, the sun had risen high into the cloudless desert sky. Aang was lounging on Appa's head, steering, Sokka was sharpening his machete with a stone, Toph was building structures from sand and pebbles, then demolishing them with a flick of her wrist, and Katara was flowing through waterbending forms in her head. Occasionally she would glance around and pretend to check that Zuko's ropes remained unsevered, merely as an excuse to touch his hands. Once she was certain everyone was off in their own worlds and not paying attention to her, she leaned over and pressed her lips to Zuko's cheek, murmuring,

"I'll get you out of here."


	4. Where We're Going

-1_Spin Me Around Chapter 4, Where We're Going_

_A/N - Double chocolate cookies to faithful readers and reviewers : D This chapter takes place later in the day of the previous chapter. Also, my in-advance apologies for the later cheesiness. Katara needed something to complain about._

_Disclaimer - XP_

_---_

The day quickly darkened as thick grey clouds formed in the sky. By five o'clock that evening it was nearly as dark as night, and was beginning to drizzle.

"Aang!" Katara said, putting down the shoe she was mending. "Could we stop soon? It's becoming difficult to see where we're going with all the clouds."

"Yeah, Twinkletoes," Toph agreed. "I'm with Sugar Queen here. I can't see a thing."

Katara glared at her. "Absolutely hilarious."

Aang brought Appa down ten feet. "I think you're right, Katara," he said, noticing a good spot for a campsite, a clear, flat spot in the brush below. "This looks good enough for me," he nodded, looking at the others for approval.

"Perfect," Sokka leapt from the saddle.

"Mmphf," Zuko quietly muttered in what sounded like agreement, speaking through the cloth gag. Katara undid the knot and stuffed it under her belt. "Pardon?" she whispered back, helping Zuko down from the saddle.

"It will be an easy place to escape," he replied. Katara nodded slightly.

"Sorry," she said apologetically as she retied the gag.

"Hey, Katara!" Sokka yelled over the din of the ever-increasing wind. "Help me put up the tent!"

"Of course." Katara scurried over to her brother and held up the tent poles while he stretched the fabric over them. "The tarp," she cautioned.

Sokka reached for it. "The tarp!" he cried, as the wind picked it up and carried it off into the grey sky like a bird. He sighed and watched it fly away. After a moment the brother and sister put up a second tent (one for Aang and Sokka, one for Katara), and Toph made a rock tent for herself, and, at Katara's request, one for Zuko, who was grateful enough just to not be sleeping in the rain.

Not far off, lightning flashed brilliantly through the night sky. The rain pattered down, slowly at first, then with increasing frequency. Before long it would be a steady downpour. Everyone dove for the cover of the tents, save Appa, who decided to wait out the rain in the lee of a sizable rock formation. In spite of the loud cracks of thunder, Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Zuko quickly fell asleep. Katara was left alone to ponder and gaze at the starry sky, deep into the night and long after the clouds had moved on.

By midnight she'd had enough. She soundlessly stood and crept over to Zuko's tent. Ducking under the earthen roof, she unbound his hands and untied the gag.

"What is it?" he asked, rubbing his sore wrists and yawning.

"Quiet," she warned, glancing around. "Follow me. I want to talk to you." She grasped his hand and lead him away from the camp. The two sat on a large flat rock. The sky, though moonless, was bright with the glow of a thousand stars, so that the light was like that of the time just after dusk.

"I don't know what to do," Katara said, leaning her head on Zuko's shoulder. "Aang has a huge crush on me, and I really like him as a friend, so I don't want to let him down."

"Is that all, my dear?" Zuko snaked his arm around her petite waist. "If he brings it up, tell him you don't feel that way. Cross that river when you come to it."

"You uncle is rubbing off on you, I believe," she observed, turning to look him in the eyes.

"Does it matter right now?" Zuko asked, lightly resting his hand on her cheek.

"I suppose it does not." She put her hand over his and let him softly kiss her. Katara closed her eyes to preserve this perfect moment, but opened them suddenly when she heard a rustle behind her.

Someone was watching.

Someone had seen. But whom? She whipped around, and heard and odd whooshing noise. Two dots were glowing behind a bush. And an arrow above them.

_Oh please, spirits, no…_

Why must it be Aang who had seen? His anger at Zuko had caused him to slip into the Avatar state.

We have to get out of here. The realization struck like lightning.

"Zuko!" she grabbed for his hand. He was frozen by fear. This was worse than when he had seen the Avatar State at the North Pole. This time, it was directed at him. "We have to get out of--"

A large blast of air hit Zuko squarely in the chest, sweeping him off the rock. His head hit the rocky ground, quickly knocking him out. Katara felt a single tear slide down her face.

"Aang, what have you done?" she screeched over the winds, hair whipping against her face. "You nearly killed him!"

Katara's words brought Aang back. He slowed the air and opened his eyes as Katara continued to scream, though the winds had stopped.

"Why? How could you? You're supposed to be helping people, not bashing their heads against rocks!" She was well aware her words would scorch her friend like fireblasts, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

The strain of the Avatar State caused Aang to begin to lose consciousness. Katara quieted right before he gave in and whispered two words, more burning, filled with more contempt than the ones she had shrieked.

"I'm leaving." She inhaled and exhaled, willing the tears to stop though they openly refused. "Don't expect me to return. Tell Sokka I'll miss him."

Wiping off her tear-streaked face, she checked Zuko's pulse at his neck and somehow picked him up and carried him into the wilderness.

Aang watched them disappear before him, then surrendered to the unconsciousness reaching for him.

---

Zuko opened his eyes, blinked once, twice, and could see. He sat up, looking around and finding himself in a slightly cramped rock cave. Rubbing his head, he winced as his hand touched a slightly swollen bruise.

"What happened?" he asked when he noticed Katara sitting in one corner. A decorated glass vial lay empty on the soft moss between them. "What is that?"

"The Avatar knocked you out," Katara said, reaching for his hand. "That held sacred was from the oasis at the north pole. I used the water to heal you, if you're wondering. Otherwise you would have died of a blood clot in the head." She bit her lip as he winced a second time. "But don't worry, my love," she reassured him. "You'll be fine. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "But are you injured?"

"I'm perfectly well," she smiled as he softly kissed her hand. "But you'll most likely suffer from headaches for a week or so. You had a nasty blow." A silence followed. After a full twenty seconds, Katara broke it.

"I want to leave as soon as you feel well. I can't stand to be around the Avatar any more." Zuko noticed her abrupt refusal to refer to Aang by his name. She had insisted Zuko call him Aang, not the Avatar, in the past. "But where can we go?"

Zuko pondered this for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"I have an idea."


End file.
